The present invention generally relates to a communication system, and more particularly to a full duplex communication system for simultaneously transmitting voice information between front and rear seating areas while integrating voice actuated control of vehicle electronic subsystems.
In a typical vehicle, a driver of the vehicle must, of necessity, face forward in the direction of forward travel of the vehicle. In passenger compartments containing additional rows of seats, the driver and any other front seat passengers are thus facing away from rear seat occupants. Consequently, a passenger may have difficulty understanding or hearing the speech of the driver or anyone else forward of the passenger.
It is known to use a microphone in the front or rear seating area to pick up voices which are then amplified and reproduced by a speaker in another seating area. A particular problem encountered in such a system is acoustic feedback between the speaker and closely spaced microphones located at each occupant position. Microphone reception of vehicle related noise is retransmitted through the microphones and speakers located within the passenger compartment thereby further degrading communication efficiency. Another problem is that known systems allow only one passenger to speak at a time thus preventing the speech of one passenger if either passenger attempts to speak over the other.
A further limitation of known systems is associated with the control of vehicle subsystems. Known systems are primarily controlled solely from the operator position and are limited to manual switch activation. However, it is desirable at times to provide passengers with control of vehicle subsystems such as an audio entertainment or cellular phone subsystems to eliminate tasks demanded of the operator.
The present invention provides a full duplex communication system for a vehicle passenger compartment which integrates voice actuated control of vehicle electronic and entertainment systems.
In general terms, this invention is an audio communication system for use in the passenger compartment of a vehicle which includes a first microphone and a first speaker located at a first position of the passenger compartment, such as proximate to the operator""s position. A second microphone and a second speaker are located a distance away from the first microphone and speaker at a second position within the passenger compartment. The second microphone and the second speaker can be located, for example, at a passenger position in the rear of the vehicle.
Preferably, a microphone and a speaker are located at each occupant position within the vehicle passenger compartment. A plurality of microphone and speaker combinations can be located within the passenger compartment and the digital signal processor simultaneously outputs the signals of each microphone through all the attached speakers. The speakers are, preferably, the same audio system speakers commonly installed in passenger vehicles for use with the audio entertainment system. The digital signal processor transmits the signal generated by the microphones while simultaneously canceling non-input signals originating external to the system. The digital signal processor thus allows full duplex communication while substantially eliminating unwanted external interference and feedback.
Modem vehicles typically include an audio entertainment subsystem such as a radio and often include a mobile transceiver, such as a cellular phone. The present invention integrates each subsystem into the vehicle communication system. The subsystems are voice actuated from one or more positions within the vehicle. Thus, each passenger has access to a cellular phone or can control the audio entertainment system.
In systems intended for high volume vehicle production, it is desirable to reduce the parts and cost of a communication system. The usage of voice actuated vehicle controls and communication through a common processor, microphones, and speakers reduces the quantity of parts and the overall cost of the communication system.